


Nineteen Minutes

by stopthedimples



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Books, Idea - Freeform, M/M, Multi, One Shot, jodi pictouts, nineteen mintues, one direction - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-09
Updated: 2013-02-09
Packaged: 2017-11-28 17:04:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/676795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stopthedimples/pseuds/stopthedimples
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry is the popular boy, the one everybody loves, his best friend Louis and Zayn area always by his side, snickering at the ‘low lifes.’ But when he becomes friends with the school rejects things start to spiral out of control. And Niall and Liam think they can take matters into their own hands.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Nineteen Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/17165) by Jodi Picoult. 



“In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn; color your hair; watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled bya dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five.In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world; or you can just jump off it.”

Harry pov

“Take out the garbage before you leave.” My mom yelled down into the kitchen, as I attempted to eat my breakfast fully without being late to school. Again. “And the Horans are coming over tonight so come home right after practice!”

The Horans, awesome. That meant two hours of awkward family talk about ‘the way it used to be’ and then an hour of game playing with Niall, where we wouldn’t talk and then pretend it didn’t happen until our families were thrown together again.

It’s not that I didn’t like Niall, we used to be best friends. But things change and I was a jerk to him once in secondary school and we haven’t been friends since then.

I had just got my first girlfriend and she was quite popular, I don’t know what she saw in me but it was something and now people were starting to be my friend. Nothing like it was when I was a kid, bullied all the time, only one friend. That friend was Niall and when he told me that he had a crush on my new girlfriend best friend I thought it would be a good idea to help him out.

So I set them up. But I didn’t know that she was going to be so sinister towards the whole idea. She snickered the whole time I told her my plan, but eventually she agreed to meet with him in the front of the school. I was thrilled. And then it all went downhill. She mocked him, and tormented him, humiliated him in front of out whole grade.

That was the last time I really talked to Niall. He just assumed that I had been a part of the whole prank and never spoke to me again. Sure, I tried to get him to talk to me but there is only so much I could do, and finally I just gave up.

“Harry did you hear me. Garbage now.” My mom barked grabbing her bag off the table, and kissing my cheek. “Don’t be late again this week!”

Looks like i’m not going to finish my breakfast, if i’m going to take the garbage out and get to school on time.

I dropped my bowl in the sink, pondering the thought to wash it and then denied my thoughts and grabbed the garbage. Time for hell.

–

“Hey Haz over here!” Louis waved from our lab station. Another lab, awesome. I got here early for this. Great.

“We’re partners.” Louis beamed tousling his hair.

“Who are the other set of partners?” I asked motioning to the other side of the lab station.

“Dunno. Mr. Walker is still assigning them. Hope we don’t get stuck with no homos.” He shoved his elbow into my side and I let out a small chuckle. It wasn’t really my place to judge someone on their orientation but whatever was floating Louis boat today was fine by me.

“Horan! Payne! You’re with Styles and Tomlinson!” Mr. Walker shouted over a group of girls, pointing towards our station.

My day just keeps getting better and better. I waited to hear what Louis had to say about it. He never could keep his mouth shut and he always had something rude to say, especially to Liam.

Liam Payne. My old best friends new best friend. He transferred a few years after the ‘incident’ and when they were paired up on an assignment they became good friends. But my now ‘best friend’ hated them, they were the low lifes, the bottom of the high school food chain, loners.

“Great homos.” Louis didn’t even mumble, he just spoke full on, eyes locked with Nialls. But what really set Louis off was when Liams hand extended towards us ‘I’m Liam’ he smiled genuinely reaching out.

“Are you trying to touch me?” Louis snapped, smacking at Liams hand. He quickly jolted back fumbling into his seat. “Don’t touch me.” I watched as Liams eyes met Nialls and began to glisten. Instantly I felt bad, how had I gone from one of them to whatever I was now?

“Alright one pig per lab station. Work together. Follow the instruction on the worksheet, and i’ll be here if you need anything.” Mr. Walker shrugged off the fact that half the class wasn’t listening at all and walked back to his desk.

Louis had pulled out his phone and was scrolling through twitter. Niall and Liam were both reviewing caught in small conversation. Niall had his hand on Liams back and was trying to console him. Saying things like ‘It will be okay’ and ‘Just remember the plan.’

I guess it was just a matter of time before Louis came back to reality and started back as his normal self. Might as well just look passed him and get started with the project. A dead pig, awesome.

–

“Set the table?” My mom asked, pressing the plates in my direction. I didn’t say no. I never said no, because when your sister leaves for university and it’s just you and her you don’t say no.

“Was school okay? Anything exciting happen?” Her mood lifted abruptly as the doorbell rang. “I guess you can just tell me during dinner.” She smiled my smile and walked away. I couldn’t help but wonder what my Mother would think of me, if she had sat next to me during the lab today. How she would of felt about me just sitting there, doing nothing to help Niall or Liam.

So I managed to avoid Niall for all that it was worth. I didn’t even leave my room until my mom called that dinner was ready. And even then I just stared at my plate, pushing around peas and wishing I was anywhere but here.

I guess I had got so distracted that I hadn’t noticed that Niall had even began to talk. But when I glanced up he was deep in conversation with my mom about our science project. He went on to say that we’d found main veins and he was really thrilled by the whole thing.

“You boys must work so well together!” Niall Mom exclaimed, smiling, and taking another drink of her wine. I threw half a nod and went back to moving my peas. It’s not like we were lying to them, we just weren’t telling the whole truth.

–

As I helped my Mom clean up the dishes for dinner I thought back on what it was like when you were a kid. You weren’t bullied, you weren’t labeled, you were just you. Having one friend or having ten friends didn’t mean anything.

High school was not the same as it used to be. Not when my parents were in school, everything was different now.

I guess if I was Niall or Liam I would hate me too. They obviously did.

“Harry? Babe?”

“Yeah mom? Sorry I was spacing.”

“Niall left his jacket here, can you bring it to him tomorrow?”

I couldn’t tell her no. It was like she thought we were friends, that it was socially acceptably for me to just walk up and strike a conversation with him. That him being over at my house was okay, but I couldn’t just walk up to him. And I never told anybody when he came over to my house.

I wasn’t embarrassed.

I was just scared, of what my ‘friends’ would say to me if they knew.


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Can you hate someone for what they have done, but still love them for whom they had been?”

Nialls POV

“Yeah but your dad is a cop, I mean you could probably get away with anything.” I slightly stammered joining Liam on his twin bed.

“Not anything, I can still go to jail you know.” I shrugged. Liam was right, but there wasn’t really a point for this conversation anyways.

“Do you think they will act on their words?” Liam asked, shifting uncomfortably next to me. Best friend or not it was a touchy subject. I hated Harry for reasons he never told Liam, and it just made things worse with his two buddies.

“Zayn maybe, he seems like he would be one to fight. Louis is all talk. And i’ve known Harry since I could talk he couldn’t hurt someone if he tried.” As much hatred I had, it was true. There was no way he would ever hurt anyone.

Last year a sophomore accused Harry of tripping her in the hallway to gain points with the other boys. But even then, I don’t think he did it. I was the only one who believed him, and he didn’t even know it.

“Ready for hell?” I asked giving a small smile. He laughed at my expression and kissed his Mom goodbye.

–

The first few periods passed pretty quickly, and for a Tuesday morning I was really surprised. I hadn’t seen Liam since we made it to school, but I was hoping for the best and praying he didn’t get caught by anyone on the football team. He was easy to torment, and easy to push around.

He never fought back. Ever. One of these days I was going to fight back for him, and that day might be really soon.

“Hey Horan!” The familiar voice sent goosebumps down my arms. I rolled my eyes and stood toe to toe with none other than Harry Styles himself.

“What is it?” He smirked. Of course he would smirk, I could see Zayn quickly approaching and there would be no more nice talk from here on out.

“I seen you friend all bloodied up in the locker room earlier. Zayn really had it in with him.”

Awesome, he had caught Liam. And for whatever reason really done him in, apparently. He probably didn’t even deserve it, and he probably just stood there and took it. How was I suppose to explain this to his mother for the third time this month?

“What did he even do to you?” I asked my body instantly struck with anger.

“He was being a homo.” Zayn laughed at his own joke and practically bounced into the science lab. When I turned for some sort of feeling or expression off of Harry his eyes were connected with his white converse. Obviously upset. Well maybe if he didn’t stand around and watch people get the shit beat out of them he wouldn’t be so upset all the time.

“You left your jacket at my house.” Barely audible, he shoved the jacket in my direction. Following suit and walking into the lab.

I waited until Liam finally showed up. Instantly he just waved me too.

“There isn’t even any blood left. It’s fine.” He put his hand over his eye and made a comment that if he stayed like that all day, nobody would even notice he got punched. “I’ll just stay home tomorrow, wait for it to die down.” He added, patting me on the shoulder and motioning for me to enter the lab.

I couldn’t let him get tormented the way Harry let me get tormented. I wouldn’t let it happen, I was going to take matters into my own hands. I was going to help Liam.

–

As Niall stood outside of the place he once loved as a kid, he thought back on the things he really loved.

He felt his stomach turn when the only two things that could come to his mind were Harry and now Liam. He regained thought that Liam wasn’t going to be at school today and started towards the front steps. A group of girls scoffed at his presence and then went back to whatever conversation they had been having, doubtful if it was intelligent at all.

Niall had one thing to do today and he was going to do it.

He sat on his small bed last night and asked for forgiveness, although he never really believed in a God so he wasn’t sure what he was praying too. His parents weren’t home as usual, and he had no siblings to turn to.

Maybe if Harry had stood up for in when they were younger things would not be this way. He wouldn’t be ashamed to be who he was. He wouldn’t be so sad all the time. And he wouldn’t be scared to go to school everyday.

But he wasn’t scared today.

Butterflies he was used to. What he was experiencing as he walked up the solid steps to the front of the school was not butterflies. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t think of an animal to compare them to— pterodactyls maybe. All he knew was they wouldn’t stop moving. They were making his stomach turn. They were making him feel sick.

And right then his mind turned to Liam. His face bloody and beat. And he wasn’t scared anymore, he wasn’t going to be sick, he was going to make things right.

He hand curled against the cool medal in his over sized sweaters pocket, he took a shaken breath and entered the school.


	3. Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I know how difficult it can be when the image you’ve had of something doesn’t match its reality; when the friend beside you turns into a monster.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final to the three part series! I hope you enjoyed it! I enjoyed writing it! x  
> You can read more of my stuff at stopthedimples.tumblr.com

“It was rude what you did to Liam.” I was surprised that I had found my voice. I’d just sat back next to Zayn my voice caught rumbling around in my head. But it wasn’t fair. He shouldn’t of done what he did, then again I shouldn’t of let him.

“Whatever man, what are you friends with the homo?” His words were thick venom. That is how Zayn worked. He did what he wanted to get what he wanted. He didn’t care, sure he was probably a really good person, but he cared more about the persona he had to uphold.

“Forget I even said anything.” I scoffed it off, my eyes following Louis as he took the seat next to me.

“Lighten up Harry. No pigs or homos to work with today.”

Just as I was about to retaliate towards Louis for whatever reason, because I was just digging myself in a hole there was a loud pop. Like someone had popped a hundred balloons at once.

Mr. Walker was out of his seat faster than I have ever seen him move. His hands settled on each side of the door frame. Quickly his knuckles turned white and his hands fell. His voice dropped to a whisper as he pleaded to someone. ‘Please don’t’ and ‘Why’ were all I could make out, before there was another loud pop. Mr. Walker dropping to the classroom floor.

“Someone has a gun!” A shrill came from near Mr. Walker, a girl i’d never even heard speak before. A gun? Like a shooter in the school? This was unreal, it wasn’t really happening was it?

I felt Louis squeeze my elbow, but he didn’t speak. I watched as his mouth dropped and his eyes went wide, i’d never seen him so scared. And when I turned back to where Mr. Walker was laying lifeless on the floor I knew why.

Niall Horan. He stood tall and strong as he stepped over Mr. Walker, with a gun in his hand.

I muttered a ‘Jesus’ and began to move with the class towards the far wall. This was it. He was taking revenge on the school and if there was anyone in the school who deserved to get shot, it was me.

“Zayn.” Nialls voice was hoarse, stern. “Come here.”

 

I flashed Zayn a look, just barely locking eyes before he stood up and started towards Niall. Of course he would pick Zayn first, Zayn had been the one to humilate Liam yesterday in the locker room. And not just yesterday either, every day since he moved to this god forsaken school.

“Why do you hate Liam. Just tell me. Why do you do those horrible things to him?” Niall punctuated each word, thrusting his arm forward in Zayns direction the gun wobbly and fitted.

Maybe if Zayn just tells him the real reason, Niall will stop. He’ll give it up, realize what he is doing is completely insane.

“I-I just I..” Zayn sputtered on his words, his head shaking violently.

“Is it because he’s smaller than you. Because you’re a terrible person. Because you don’t care that you are ruining someones life everyday!” Nialls voice was instantly risen. Sharp and rugged.

Zayn muttered a ‘yes.’ As if he though that was what Niall wanted to hear.

Niall shook his head and let out a chuckle. “Wrong answer.”

POP

Quickly the room erupted in screams, our classmate, friend dropped to his knees and then caught himself down to all fours. Blood instantly covered the floor around Zayn, soaking through his shirt and into his pants.

“Louis.” Niall spoke again. Not phased at all that Zayn was lying at his feet gasping for air.

Louis didn’t budge he just slumped further into the crowd of people. He was too scared to move forward. He wasn’t as brave as Zayn, and I know I should have been the one to protect Niall all those years ago. But I was sure I had to protect Louis was him now.

“Niall stop. You can’t do this.” I sucked in a breath and waited for him to say something. Anything.

“Can’t I? I’ve been tormented for years. Had my life taken away from me. Why should they get to keep theirs?” I guess he was right. Not very realistic, but right. But taking a life of friends and happiness is different than taking a physical life.

“You can’t hurt him. He’s my best friend. I know that doesn’t mean anything to you, but it means something to me.” I rummaged through my brain to find something that would pang Niall. “And I mean something to you don’t I?”

Almost instantly his eyes filled with tears and he let out a muffled sob. His arm clearly heavy and his chest heaving.

“You’re right.” He made eye contact and whimpered. Dropping his arm from it’s current stance, and pointing it into his chest. Before I could stop what was happening he pulled the trigger, his body dropping.

“Niall!” Quickly my heart dropped my legs leading for towards him. My hands cupping his face.

I guess he was always my best friend. He would of always been there for me. He would have always done anything for me. And I betrayed him. So as I put pressure against his wound I cried, tears from the last few years.

Tears of agonizing pain. My chest literally heaving with guilt. I had done this. I had killed the fun loving, intelligent, beautiful boy I had once known. I now I may have physically killed him.

The shock went through my body, my hands covered in his blood, his body covered in my tears.

“I’m so sorry. I would change it, Niall I would. But I can’t and i’m so sorry.”

So maybe he didn’t hear me. And maybe his breathing had stopped minutes before, but I meant what I had said. I couldn’t make myself detach myself from his lifeless body, but they could.

And I dropped all ambitions as Louis pulled me off of him. Steadying me against Zayn, his shoulder still bleeding immensely. I muttered apologies until we were out of sight, out of the school.

If I could turn back time, I would.

**Author's Note:**

> I put this on my tumblr first and most really liked it. Yes it's based off the book Nineteen Minutes, I hope you enjoy it x


End file.
